Ventilated welding helmet

ABSTRACT

THE VELTILATED WELDING HELMET INCLUDES A FACE SHIELD PROVIDED WITH A WINDOW AND A CURVED HOOD. THE FACE SHIELD IS PIVOTALLY ATTACHED TO A HEAD FRAME WORN BY THE OPERATOR. THE VENTILATING MEANS INCLUDES A CENTRIFUGAL BLOWER SUPPLYING FILTERED AIR THROUGH A FLEXIBLE HOSE HAVING ONE END CONNECTED TO THE BLOWER. AT ITS OTHER END, THE FLEXIBLE HOSE INCLUDES A NOZZLE HAVING A DIVERGENT SPOUT AND A PROJECTING LUG. A PAIR OF CLAMPING SCREWS THEREADEDLY ATTACHED TO THE LUG PROVIDES A MEANS OF DETACHABLE CONNECTING THE HELMET BETWEEN THE SPOUT AND LUG WHEREBY TO DIRECT AIR INWARDLY OF THE SHIELD.

June 15, 1971 w. s. HOBSON VENTILATED WELDING HELMET Filed March 18. 1968 FIG. '2

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F GL 5 WI LLIS 5. HOBSOIU United States Patent O "ice 3,584,314 VENTILATED WELDING HELMET Willis S. Hobsou, Seymour, Ind., assiguor to Seymour Manufacturing C0., Seymour, Ind. Filed Mar. 18, 1968, Ser. No. 713,599 Int. Cl. A61f 9/06 US. Cl. 2-8 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The ventilated welding helmet includes a face shield provided with a window and a curved hood. The face shield is pivotally attached to a head frame worn by the operator. The ventilating means includes a centrifugal blower supplying filtered air through a flexible hose having one end connected to the blower. At its other end, the flexible hose includes a nozzle having a divergent spout and a projecting lug. A pair of clamping screws threadedly attached to the lug provides a means of detachably connecting the helmet between the spout and lug whereby to direct air inwardly of the shield.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to welding helmets, and more particularly to a welding helmet which is ventilated interiorly for the protection of the operator.

Welding helmets which are ventilated to prevent the ingress into the interior of the helmet of noxious gases harmful to the operator are not generally new. However, constant improvements are sought in this field of endeavor not only because of possible danger to the operator but also because a protected operator may work for longer periods of time in close quarters in which the danger from fumes is aggravated.

One prior type of ventilated helmet effectuated the ventilation by means of a perforated tubular frame around the window, the perforated holes discharging air interiorly in the region of the nose and eyes of the operator, a supply hose being connected to the frame. The perforated tubular frame required the provision of a special helmet.

Another prior type of ventilated helmet provided a fitting to the mask in the region of the mouth. Air was supplied from an external source by a hose attached to the fitting, and either a special helmet was required, which included the fitting, or modification had to be made to each helmet to accbmmodate the special fitting.

Ventilation has been effectuated in various other ways. For example, a semi-circular plenum tube was attached to the head band of a welding helmet, the tube being perforated with air holes discharging air in the vicinity of the nose and mouth. This semicircular tubular unit in fact became a permanent part of the helmet, because a detachable air hose supply attachment was provided. The nature of the connections between the plenum tube and the head frame did not render them susceptible to being readily connected and disconnected.

Still another prior type of helmet had a built-in fitting molded to the crown and was, therefore, a helmet which had been specially designed to receive an air hose fitting. The built-in fitting itself was not detachable from the helmet.

Thus, those prior ventilated helmets are either specially designed or require special fittings, which, in effect, convert the helmet into a special helmet. The present device avoids this complication and restriction.

One aspect of safety equipment that cannot be ignored is that it must be easy to use. In general, operators of dangerous equipment dislike being encumbered with safety devices, and when such devices are not simple to use, they will refuse, in many instances, to avail themselves 3,584,314 Patented June 15, 1971 of such equipment. In brief, convenience of use is paramount in safety devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present device is particularly intended to be used with a conventional welding helmet of the type currently in use having a head frame with a face shield pivotally attached thereto. No special fittings of any kind are re quired on the helmet, and the ventilation may be provided for as long as or short a time as may be desired. In a matter of seconds, the ventilating device may be transferred to another helmet worn by another operator, and in the process of transference there is no need whatever for either operator to remove his helmet. Nor is there any need for the helmets in question to be of identical design, the ventilating device being adaptable to most conventional types.

The ventilated welding helmet includes a face shield with a window portion and a curved hood having a crown, the shield being pivotally attached to a head frame.

The ventilating means includes an air supply transmitted to the helmet by means of a flexible air hose which is connected to the air supply at one end and is provided with nozzle means at the other end. The nozzle means is detachably connected to the crown of the face shield whereby to direct air inwardly of the shield toward the window portion.

The crown of the face shield includes a rear margin. The nozzle means includes a spout and a projecting lug spaced from the spout to provide a gap receiving the rear margin, clamping means selectively clamps the crown between the spout and the lug.

The spout includes an inlet orifice communicating with the hose to receive air therefrom and a divergent outlet orifice exhausting the air inwardly of the shield. The spout includes an upper wall cooperating with the spaced lug and associated clamping means to hold the crown in clamped relation therebetween. The clamping means includes a pair of threadedly adjustable clamping screws carried by the lug, whereby to clamp the nozzle to the crown.

The spout inlet and outlet orifices are angularly related. The air supply includes a centrifugal blower unit delivering ambient air to the hose. The spout exhausts the air against the curve of the crown for deflected dispersal of the air between the inside of the shield and the face of the operator.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the helmet with the ventilating device clamped thereto;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the centrifugal blower and motor unit;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary front elevation of the nozzle clamped to the crown of the face shield;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional elevation taken on line 44 of FIG. 3, and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary plan View of the nozzle connected to the crown of the helmet.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, and first to FIG. 1, it will be understood that the ventilated welding helmet 10 and a ventilating nozzle generally indicated by numetal 11 connected to the helmet 10.

The helmet 10 includes a face shield 12 having a framed window 13 and a curved hood portion 14, the hood portion including a crown 15, side portions 16 and a bottom portion 17.

The face shield 12 is pivotally connected to a head frame 18 by pivot connections 19 so that the face shield 12 may be pushed upwardly away from the face of the operator in the well-known manner.

The nozzle 11, constituting a nozzle means is carried at one end of a flexible air hose 20 and the air hose 20 is connected at its other end to a centrifugal blower 21 which is driven by a motor 22, the motor and blower constituting an air supply. Air is drawn from ambience by an impeller (not shown) within the blower through a filter (not shown).

A flanged connection generally shown by 23 interconnects the flexible hose 22 to the outlet of the blower 21. The blower 21 is provided with an eye bolt 24, which receives a hook 25, the hook 25 permitting the blower 21 to be attached to a support 26.

The nozzle 11 and its connection to the crown 15 of the face shield 12 are clearly illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5. The nozzle 11 includes an elbow-shaped spout having angularly related portions 31 and 32. The spout includes an inlet orifice 33 and an outlet orifice 34 which are likewise angularly related.

The nozzle 11 includes 2. lug 35 projecting from the upper portion 31 of the spout 30. The lug 35 is disposed in spaced relation to an upper wall 36 of the lower portion 32 of the spout 30 to provide a gap 37.

The curved crown 15 includes a rear margin 40 which is received in the gap 37. By turning a pair of clamping screws 41, the nozzle 11 may be secured in clamped re lation to the rear of the crown 15.

The outlet portion 32 of the spout 30 includes oppos ing sidewalls 42 disposed in divergent relation so that the outlet orifice 34 is divergent and peripherally enclosed by the sidewalls 42, an upper wall 36 and a bottom wall 43.

The flexible hose 20 is attached to the upper portion 31 of the spout 30 in air-tight relation. Wire wound plastic hose has been found suitable for this purpose.

It will be understood that the gap 37 between the lug 35 and the upper spout wall 36 is wider than the thickness of the crown 15 of the face shield 12. In this way the gap 37 is adaptable to variations in the curvature of the crown 15 which may be found in commercial helmets. It will be understood that the upper spout wall 36 may be curved to be compatible with most helmets currently in use.

It is thought that the functional advantages of this ventilated welding helmet have become fully apparent from the foregoing description of parts, but for completeness of disclosure, the installation and operation of the ventilated helmet will be briefly described.

By adjusting the clamping screws 41 threadedly attached to the lug 35, the nozzle 11 may be clamped to the rear of the helmet 10'. This operation, of course, is very simple and speedily effected. As may be seen from FIG. 4, the result of clamping the nozzle 11 to the helmet 10 provides that the divergent exit orifice 34 of the spout 30 is secured to the inside of the helmet 10.

Clean filtered air from the blower unit 21 is supplied at relatively low pressure to the inlet orifice 33 which communicates with the outlet orifice 34. Air is expelled, or exhausted from the outlet orifice 34 inwardly of the face shield 12 toward the window 13.

It will be understood from FIG. 5 that the divergent nature of the exit orifice 34 disperses the air laterally as well as forwardly, and it will be likewise understood from FIG. 4 that the air is carried forwardly and downwardly by the inner portion of the crown 15 which deflects the air in a direction toward the eyes, nose and mouth of the operator. The space between the head of the operator and the inside of the face shield 12 provide a passage facilitating the movement of the air. This air, which is at comparatively low pressure, does not produce the irritating hiss that is common with compressed air ventilation devices. Nor is there any discomfort to the operator as the air passes over his head toward the facial area.

Moreover, it will be perfectly clear that simply by loosening the clamping screws 41, the nozzle 11 and the hose 20 to which it is attached may be quickly removed from the helmet 10 without the need for the operator to remove the helmet 10-.

The ventilating air supply may thus be quickl and efficiently transferred from one conventional type of welding helmet to another such helmet with the minimum of delay. The operator, of course, may perform this operation himself, and the immediate ease with which it is accomplished ensures that the device will be used whenever it is required for the expulsion of noxious gases and the prevention of ingress of such gases into the helmet.

It will be understood that by providing a spout 30 having angular related portions 31 and 32, the spout 30 and the hose 20 connected thereto will tend to clear the operator. This is particularly important when the operator pushes the helmet 10 away from his face during a pause in his work.

I claim as my invention:

1. A ventilated welding helmet comprising:

(a) a helmet including:

(1) a face shield having a window portion and a curved hood portion, and

(2) a head frame pivotally attached to the face shield, and

(b) ventilating means including:

( 1) an air supply,

(2) a flexible air hose connected at one end to the air supply, and

(3) nozzle means at the other end of the hose, detachably connected to the hood portion of the shield, the nozzle means directing air inwardly of the shield toward the window portion,

(c) the hood portion including a crown having a rear margin, and

(d) the nozzle means including:

(1) a spout, communicating with the hose to receive air therefrom, and

(2) a projecting lug spaced from the spout to provide a gap receiving the rear margin of the crown.

2. A ventilated welding helmet as defined in claim 1, in which:

(e) clamping means clamp the crown between the spout and the lug.

3. A ventilated welding helmet comprising:

(a) a helmet including:

(1) a face shield having a window portion and a curved hood portion, and

(2) a head frame pivotally attached to the face shield, and

(b) ventilating means including:

(1) an air supply,

(2) a flexible air hose connected at one end to the air supply, and

(3) nozzle means at the other end of the hose, detachably connected to the hood portion of shield, the nozzle means directing air inwardly of the shield toward the window portion,

(c) the hood including a crown having a rear margin,

((1) the nozzle means including:

(l) a spout having an inlet orifice communicating with the hose to receive air therefrom and a divergent outlet orifice exhausting air inwardly of the shield, the spout having an upper wall, and

(2) a projecting lug spaced from the upper wall of the spout to provide a gap receiving the rear margin of the crown, and

(e) clamping means clamps the crown between the upper wall and the lug.

4. A ventilated welding helmet as defined in claim 3, in which:

(f) the clamping means includes a pair of clamping screws carried by the lug and threadedly adjustable therewith to clamp the nozzle means to the crown.

5. A ventilated welding helmet as defined in claim 3,

in which:

(f) the air supply includes a centrifugal blower unit delivering ambient air to the hose, and

(g) the spout exhausts air against the curve of the crown for deflection thereby and dispersal inwardly of the shield.

6. A ventilated welding helmet as defined in claim 5,

in which:

(h) the spout inlet and outlet orifices are angularly related.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 735,959 8/1903 Folkmar 2-8UX 2,354,502 7/ 1944 Cockrill et a1. 28 2,688,962 9/1954 Summers 28X 2,882,894 4/1959 Fahey et al 28UX 3,223,086 12/1965 Denton 21OUX 2,605,136 7/1952 Kline et a1 239282 3,040,990 6/1962 Gotti 24875 JAMES R. BOLER, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

